"Tell me your thoughts," Lynd asked the Night's Watchmen in front of him directly after everyone had settled down.
Everyone looked at each other, no one intending to speak first, so all eyes fell on Old Bear.
Old Bear couldn't help but roll his eyes, secretly cursing these cunning fellows for not wanting to speak themselves and making him do it.
But in the current situation, he couldn't remain silent, so he thought for a moment and asked, "Lord Lynd, are you trying to make us accept the Beyond the Wall Wildlings?"
Jeor Mormont said this not out of wild guess; it was no secret that Daisy Mormont had transported a large number of Beyond the Wall Wildlings to Bear Island in recent years, and he also knew that most of the transported Beyond the Wall Wildlings had been relocated to Summerhall for settlement, while the rest were settled on Bear Island and integrated into Bear Island's army and residents.
"Yes," Lynd said, nodding, not hiding his thoughts.
The surrounding crowd immediately burst into an uproar. Most of the Commanders from various castles present were noble scions from the Seven Kingdoms. All the information they had received about Beyond the Wall Wildlings since childhood invariably portrayed them as savage and cruel, to be treated as beasts rather than humans.
The other Commanders, without exception, were residents of The Gift whose families had been ruined by Beyond the Wall Wildlings crossing the Wall. They held deep-seated hatred for Beyond the Wall Wildlings, so their reaction was the strongest upon hearing Lynd's decision. If it hadn't been Lynd who spoke, they might have already drawn their swords.
As the Commander of the Night's Watch, Jeor Mormont had to step forward at this moment to express their thoughts, saying, "My Lord, the Night's Watch has been fighting the Beyond the Wall Wildlings since its inception. The animosity between the two sides has lasted for thousands of years. Keeping the Beyond the Wall Wildlings out of the Wall and protecting the southern kingdoms from their encroachment has always been the Glory of the Night's Watch. Now you are asking the Night's Watch to let the Beyond the Wall Wildlings cross the Wall, this…"
"Is the Glory of the Night's Watch fighting the Beyond the Wall Wildlings?" Lynd interrupted Old Bear, looked at everyone, raised a hand to signal them to quiet down, and then asked in a deep voice, "I have a question I want to ask all of you: Why were the Night's Watch and the Wall established?"
Everyone present was stunned. They looked at each other, not knowing how to answer for a moment.
"Can't you answer such a simple question?" Lynd's gaze swept over everyone and finally landed on Jeor Mormont, saying, "Or is it that you all know the answer clearly in your hearts, but cannot speak it? If so, I will speak for you! It is for the Others. The Night's Watch was formed, and the Wall was built, all to fight the Others. It is only because the Others retreated to the Eternal Winter Land further north that the target shifted to the Beyond the Wall Wildlings. Now the Others have reappeared; they are gathering north of the Wall, ready to attack the Wall from the south at any time. What the Night's Watch should do now is return to its original duty. All actions and thoughts must be centered on fighting the Others. Everything else must be put aside, including the hatred for the Beyond the Wall Wildlings."
A Commander couldn't help but question, "The Others' appearance this time might be just a test, like last time, and then they will return north. There's no need for us to let the Beyond the Wall Wildlings cross the Wall."
Lynd looked at that Commander, then at the others, and said, "Do you all think the same as him?"
The Commanders hesitated for a moment, then nodded one after another. Only a few did not nod, including the Commander of Icehold.
Lynd pointed directly at the Commander of Icehold and said, "You tell me, why don't you think, like the others, that this time the Others are just testing?"
Everyone's eyes fell on the Commander of Icehold, who hesitated for a moment and said, "Lord Willas told me that after this long summer, there will be a long winter, and it will last for a very long time, possibly for hundreds of years. Therefore, the Others' southward movement this time is definitely not a test, but they truly intend to move south."
Everyone was stunned upon hearing this, not knowing how to react for a moment.
Willas is a very special existence in the Night's Watch. He has not joined the Night's Watch, nor has he taken the Night's Watch oath, but he is a very important part of the Night's Watch.
Initially, everyone only regarded him as a benefactor of the Night's Watch, but later they discovered that Willas was extraordinary. He not only found ancient secrets of the Wall but has now become a part of the Wall. Anyone who goes to Icehold to see Willas will be shocked by the sight.
Although Willas never interferes with the affairs of the Night's Watch, his words might be more effective in the minds of the Night's Watch Commanders than Old Bear's. Just like now, after the Icehold Commander spoke Willas's words, everyone present did not question them but seriously considered the meaning behind them.
After a moment of silence, Lynd spoke again, "When the world falls into Eternal Winter, the Others will be the enemy of all life. What we need to do is unite all forces that can be united to fight the Others, and that includes the Beyond the Wall Wildlings."
Denys Mallister, the Commander of Shadow Tower, stood up and saluted Lynd, saying with a serious expression, "If everything truly is as Lord Lynd and Lord Willas say, and the world will fall into Eternal Winter, then we are indeed willing to accept the Savage Tribes. But what about the Savage Tribes? Will the Savage Tribes be willing to be integrated by us and fight the Others alongside us? From what we know of the Savage Tribes, if they cross the Wall, they will definitely not accept our arrangements and will certainly seize the opportunity to move south, plundering towns along the way. In that case, we would be the culprits of the Beyond the Wall Wildlings disaster."
Lynd nodded to Denys Mallister and said, "I am very clear about the habits of the Beyond the Wall Wildlings. I have no fewer Savage Tribes in my territory than there are Beyond the Wall Wildlings, so I am not asking you to accept the Savage Tribes right now. I believe the Night's Watch must hit the Savage Tribes hard and make them compliant, let them know that not accepting integration is a dead end. Only then can the Savage Tribes be allowed to cross the Wall."
Upon hearing Lynd's words, everyone's eyes lit up. They changed their previous skepticism and unanimously agreed with Lynd's proposal, even hoping that Lynd could stay and preside over the battle against the Beyond the Wall Wildlings.
However, Lynd rejected their proposal and stated that he hoped their battle with the Beyond the Wall Wildlings would not be too harsh; his goal was to suppress the Beyond the Wall Wildlings, not to eliminate them.
Afterward, he further discussed with everyone the construction of Beyond the Wall Wildlings settlements behind the various castles on the Wall. These settlements were not long-term. After the Beyond the Wall Wildlings accepted integration by the Night's Watch, those who could not become warriors would be taken by Lynd to Summerhall and would not remain in the settlements. Therefore, Lynd also stated that he would send people to build the settlements, and all expenses would be covered by Summerhall.
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